The bronze shield still dripped swamp water as they stood before the new doors.

  Rat. Bird. ???

  They argued, bickered, and finally shoved the swirling ??? sigil together. The stone groaned open, mist spilling across their boots.

  The crystal pulsed smugly:

  Path Chosen: ???. Encounter Loading.

  They stepped through.

  ***

  The swamp grew thicker, trees looming crooked overhead. Mist clung like cobwebs, muffling every sound. The air was heavy, wet, and rotten, as if the whole world had been dunked in a vat of mold.

  For a while, nothing moved.

  Then the crystal chimed:

  Encounter Initiated: Three Unseen Stalkers. Difficulty: Easy. Attempts: 2.

  The adventurers froze.

  “…Unseen stalkers?” Harlada muttered. “What does that even mean?”

  Leo adjusted his glasses. “Clearly metaphorical. ‘Unseen stalker’ must refer to unresolved issues. Lingering regrets. Invisible traumas.”

  Bert crossed his arms, nodding sagely. “Yeah. Like when my uncle kept following me around after I ate all his chickens. Emotional stalking.”

  The swamp bubbled, and a branch snapped in the distance.

  “They’re shy,” Harlada decided. “We just need to talk it out.”

  ***

  They sat cross-legged in the mud, forming what looked like the worst meditation circle in history.

  “Hello, unseen stalkers,” Leo began, voice calm and measured. “We are here to validate your feelings. You may emerge without fear of judgment.”

  WHACK.

  An invisible fist smashed into his face.

  Leo toppled backward into the swamp. The crystal pulsed:

  -2 HP. Warrior Status: Misdiagnosed.

  Bert raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need for violence. Let’s share. I’ll start: sometimes I feel like my muscles are too big for people to understand me.”

  WHACK.

  A claw raked down his back, splattering mud.

  -3 HP. Rogue Status: Over-Sharing.

  Harlada threw up her hands. “Fine! I’ll be honest too! I fake half my spells!”

  WHACK.

  She folded like a paper fan into the swamp.

  -2 HP. Mage Status: Self-Sabotage.

  ***

  Attempts: 3.

  They reappeared in their cages, swamp water streaming from every seam.

  Harlada slammed the bars. “Therapy doesn’t work!”

  Leo pinched his nose. “Incorrect. It works in principle. But clearly these entities require different facilitation methods.”

  Bert grinned through his bruises. “Group hug.”

  ***

  Back in the swamp, they tried again.

  This time, they linked arms in a circle. “We accept you,” Harlada chanted. “We love you. We are safe.”

  A stalker tripped all three at once, dumping them face-first in the mire.

  The crystal pulsed:

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Attempts: 4.

  ***

  “New strategy,” Leo said, pulling swamp grass from his glasses. “Roleplay therapy. I will embody the stalkers. You will act as supportive peers.”

  He hunched, growled theatrically, and shuffled through the mud. “Grr. I am invisible. I am angry at my parents.”

  Harlada nodded solemnly. “I hear you. Your pain is valid.”

  Bert leapt forward and bear-hugged him. “I GOT HIM!”

  WHACK.

  The real stalker smashed into all three at once.

  Attempts: 5.

  ***

  Guided breathing was next.

  “Inhale,” Leo whispered, sitting lotus-style in the muck. “Exhale.”

  “Inhale,” Harlada echoed.

  “Smash!” Bert shouted, exhaling a mouthful of swamp water into Leo’s face.

  The unseen stalkers struck mid-meditation, flooring them like wet ragdolls.

  Attempts: 6.

  ***

  Trust exercises followed.

  “Fall into my arms,” Bert declared proudly, bracing himself.

  Leo pinched his nose but obeyed, falling stiffly backward.

  Bert stepped aside at the last moment. “Haha! Classic.”

  Leo disappeared into the swamp with a gurgle.

  The stalkers finished the other two with brutal efficiency.

  Attempts: 7.

  ***

  By now, the crystal screen was practically vibrating with laughter. Text scrolled across in a jagged, mocking font:

  Achievement Unlocked: Unlicensed Therapists. Reward: None.

  ***

  Finally, the help screen blinked open:

  TIP: Unseen Stalkers are invisible hunters. They cannot be reasoned with. Combat is advised. Listening may help.

  They stared at it, dripping mud.

  “…Wait,” Harlada said slowly. “They’re not traumatized?”

  Leo’s quill snapped in half. “We’ve been providing therapy to murderers.”

  Bert squinted. “So… no group hug?”

  The swamp bubbled ominously. Something unseen hissed, closer this time.

  The crystal pulsed:

  Attempts: 8 Pending.

  ***

  The swamp hissed as unseen claws scraped the mud.

  The adventurers huddled together, bruised, slimy, and utterly out of patience.

  “No more therapy,” Harlada wheezed. “This time, we fight.”

  Leo’s glasses gleamed. “At last, rationality prevails. Prepare yourselves.”

  The air stirred. A ripple in the mist — the first stalker lunged.

  Leo snapped his hands forward, crimson webbing shooting out in a desperate spray. It latched onto something invisible mid-air, suspending the shape in sticky filaments. The swamp water splashed where clawed feet should have been.

  “There!” Leo shouted. “See? Statistics never fail!”

  Bert immediately smashed the struggling outline with his cleaver until it stopped moving.

  The crystal pulsed:

  Unseen Stalker Defeated. Attempts: 8. Progress Recorded.

  ***

  The second came from the left, a blur of air.

  Harlada flung her frost instinctively. Cold blossomed in a wide arc, mist crystallizing. For the first time, her spell struck true. An invisible form solidified under a shell of ice and collapsed into the reeds with a shriek.

  She gasped, staring at her trembling hands. “I—I actually hit something.”

  Bert gave her a thumbs-up. “See? Fake it ‘til you freeze it.”

  The crystal pulsed again:

  Unseen Stalker Defeated. Progress Recorded.

  ***

  The last stalker circled them, fast and furious. Mud splashed. Branches cracked.

  “Careful,” Leo warned. “It’s adapting—”

  Bert slipped on his own shield’s dripping slime and crashed sideways. His shoulder slammed into something invisible. A loud yelp and a splash followed.

  The swamp burped, bubbles rising as the unseen stalker sank out of sight.

  All three adventurers froze.

  “…Did I just win?” Bert whispered.

  The crystal pulsed:

  Unseen Stalker Defeated (Accident). Progress Recorded.

  ***

  Silence fell. The mist drifted back into place.

  A pedestal rose from the mud with a sluggish groan. At its base lay two faintly glowing pouches.

  Leo frowned. “Two?”

  Harlada squatted down, scooping one up. “Guess the one Bert drowned didn’t count.”

  Bert flexed proudly. “Still dead, though.”

  The crystal chimed smugly:

  Loot Acquired: 2 Swamp Pouches. Value: Pitiful.

  Inside were coins damp with swamp muck. Barely enough to jingle.

  “Two corpses’ worth of money,” Harlada muttered.

  Leo scowled. “Mathematically unfair.”

  Bert shrugged. “Good thing I don’t do math.”

  The swamp bubbled ominously. Far ahead, the mist shifted, and faint light spilled from three more looming doors.

  The crystal pulsed one last time:

  Trial Complete. Choose Wisely.